Secrets
by crystallineirises
Summary: In "Into the Wild", Frostfur's kits were taken by ShadowClan. What if two kits were never rescued? Thornpaw thrived while Brightpaw never felt like she fit in. Then one Gathering she meets ThunderClan 'paw Cloudpaw. Her life is turned upside down as secrets are revealed and loyalties are challenged - after all, Brokenstar is not a very forgiving leader. Adopted from KatieK101!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Many characters in this story come from the special editions Yellowfang's Secret, Tallstar's Revenge, Crookedstar's Promise, and Bluestar's Prophecy.**

**This story was thought up by KatieK101. I adopted it and this is my version. Some things will of course be different from canon: Brightheart and Thornclaw will be raised in ShadowClan; Brokenstar was not overthrown in the first book; kits will be aged properly (example: Tallpoppy and Darkflower will be kits when in canon they were queens even though we never saw them grow up); I made up descriptions for cats without one; and I have picked out parents for some kits when canon was unclear (example: Newtspeck's kits were fathered by Nutwhisker); Brokenstar continued using his system of training kits at three moons, and made them warriors around six moons. Yellowfang still joined ThunderClan and became their new medicine cat, much to Brokenstar's fury. **

**Unfortunately, I do not own Warriors and therefore all of the wonderful characters belong to Erin Hunter.**

-Allegiances-

_**SHADOWCLAN**_

LEADER: **Brokenstar** – long-haired dark brown tabby tom

DEPUTY: **Blackfoot** – large white tom with one black paw

MEDICINE CAT: **Runningnose** – small gray-and-white tom

WARRIORS: **Mudclaw** – gray tom with brown legs

**Toadskip** – dark brown tabby tom with white splashes and white legs

**Nettlespot** – white she-cat with ginger flecks

**Mousewing** – thick-furred black tom

**Finchflight** – black-and-white tom

**Blizzardwing** – mottled white tom

**Lizardstripe** – pale brown tabby she-cat with white belly; mother of Mudclaw's kits: Deerfoot, Tangleburr, and Runningnose

**Frogtail** – dark gray tom

**Ashheart** – pale gray she-cat; mother of Scorchwind's kits: Clawface and Nightpelt

**Scorchwind** – ginger tabby tom

**Rowanberry** – brown-and-cream she-cat; mother of Clawface's kits: Cinderfur and Stumpytail

**Nutwhisker** – brown tom

**Wolfstep** – gray tom with a torn ear

**Boulder** – silver tabby tom

_Apprentice, Wetpaw_

**Russetfur** – dark ginger she-cat

**Clawface** – scrawny brown tom

_Apprentice, Littlepaw_

**Fernshade** – tortoiseshell she-cat

**Flintfang** – gray tom

**Tangleburr** – gray-and-brown she-cat

**Deerfoot** – brown tabby tom

**Cinderfur** – gray tom

**Stumpytail** – brown tabby tom

_Apprentice, Brownpaw _

**Dawncloud** – small tabby she-cat

APPRENTICES: **Wetpaw** – gray tabby tom

**Littlepaw** – very small tabby tom

**Brownpaw** – small brown tom

QUEENS: **Newtspeck** – black-and-ginger she-cat; mother of Finchflight's kits: Wetpaw, Littlepaw, and Brownpaw, Tallkit, Darkkit, and Whitekit

**Brightflower** – orange tabby she-cat; mother of Brackenfoot's kits: Rowanberry and Nutwhisker; adoptive mother of Brightkit and Thornkit

ELDERS: **Archeye** – gray tabby tom with black stripes and thick stripe over eye

**Poolcloud** – gray-and-white she-cat; mother of Toadskip's kit: Wolfstep

**Hollyflower** – dark gray-and-white she-cat; mother of Mousewing's kits: Flintfang, Fernshade, and Blackfoot

**Nightpelt** – black tom

**Featherstorm** – dark brown tabby she-cat; mother of Hal's kits: Raggedstar and Scorchwind; mother of Blizzardwing's kit: Dawncloud

**Amberleaf** – dark orange she-cat with brown legs and ears

**Brackenfoot** – pale ginger tom with dark ginger legs

_**THUNDERCLAN**_

LEADER: **Bluestar** – blue-gray she-cat

_Apprentice, Firepaw_

DEPUTY: **Tigerclaw** – dark brown tabby tom with unusually long claws

_Apprentice, Ravenpaw _

MEDICINE CAT: **Spottedleaf**– pretty tortoiseshell she-cat?

WARRIORS: **Whitestorm** – big white tom

_ Apprentice, Sandpaw_

**Mousefur** – small dusky brown she-cat

**Runningwind** – swift tabby tom

**Willowpelt** – mother of Tawnyspot's kit: Darkstripe; mother of Patchpelt's kit: Graystripe

**Darkstripe** – sleek black-and-gray tabby tom

_Apprentice, Dustpaw_

**Longtail** – pale tabby tom with dark black stripes

**Yellowfang** – dark gray she-cat with a broad, flattened face, formerly of ShadowClan

APPRENTICES: **Dustpaw** – small dark brown tabby tom

**Sandpaw** – pale ginger she-cat

**Firepaw** – handsome ginger tom

**Graypaw** – long-haired gray tom

QUEENS: **Speckletail** – pale tabby she-cat; mother of Lionheart and Goldenflower; expecting another litter

**Goldenflower** – pale ginger she-cat; mother of Lionheart's kit: Swiftkit

**Brindleface** – pretty tabby she-cat; mother of Redtail's kit: Sandpaw; mother of Whitestorm's kits: Ashkit and Fernkit

**Frostfur** – beautiful white she-cat; mother of Lionheart's kits: Brackenkit, Cinderkit, Brightkit, and Thornkit

ELDERS: **Smallear **– gray tom with very small ears

**One-Eye **– pale gray she-cat, virtually blind and deaf

**Halftail **– big dark brown tabby tom with part of his tail missing

**Patchpelt** – small black-and-white tom

**Dappletail **– once-pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with a lovely dappled coat

_**WINDCLAN**_

LEADER: **Tallstar** – black-and-white tom with a very long tail

DEPUTY: **Deadfoot** – black tom with a twisted paw

MEDICINE CAT: **Barkface** – short-tailed brown tom

WARRIORS: **Mudclaw** – mottled dark brown tom

_ Apprentice, Webpaw_ – wiry dark brown tom

**Tornear** – tabby tom

_ Apprentice, Runningpaw_ – light gray tabby she-cat

**Onewhisker** – young brown tabby tom

_ Apprentice, Whitepaw_ – small white she-cat

QUEENS: **Ashfoot** – gray she-cat; mother of Deadfoot's kit: Eaglekit

**Morningflower** – tortoiseshell she-cat; mother of Mudclaw's kit: Gorsekit

_**RIVERCLAN**_

LEADER: **Crookedstar** – huge light-colored tabby tom with a twisted jaw

DEPUTY: **Leopardfur** – unusually spotted golden tabby she-cat

MEDICINE CAT: **Mudfur** – long-haired light brown tom

WARRIORS: **Blackclaw** – smoky black tom

_Apprentice, __**Heavypaw**_ – thick-set tabby tom

**Stonefur** – gray tom with battle-scarred ears

_Apprentice, __**Shadepaw**_ – very dark gray she-cat

**Loudbelly** – dark brown tom

_Apprentice, __**Mosspaw**_ – tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

**Silverstream** – pretty slender silver tabby

**Whiteclaw** – dark tom

**Vixenfur** – black she-cat

**Grassfoot** – brown-striped tabby tom

QUEENS: **Sunfish** – light-colored she-cat; mother of Beetlenose's kits: Vixenfur, Grassfoot, and Greenkit

**Mistyfoot** – blue-gray she-cat; expecting Blackclaw's kits

It was dark and cold in the hole, and Brightkit pressed against her siblings for warmth and reassurance. She didn't understand what was going on. She also didn't understand why she had been snatched from her mother's nest, dragged through brambles and wet marshes, and finally dropped unceremoniously into this muddy hole. Then someone had scraped twigs and leaves over the top of the hole, and then they had been left alone.

Brackenkit was injured. He had tried to bite the paw of one of the enemy warriors, and the warrior had clawed his ear. He wasn't making a sound, but Brightkit knew it had to hurt. She could smell blood. They all had scratches, but his was the worst.

"I'm hungry," Cinderkit whined.

"There's no food in here," Brackenkit said softly.

Brightkit licked her sister's cheek, trying to comfort her, but Cinderkit scowled and pulled away. "I bet this is your fault, Thornkit!" she squeaked.

"How is it _my_ fault?" Thornkit growled.

"You called Smallear a mouse-brain, remember?"

"He deserved it!" Thornkit snapped.

"He's an elder," Brackenkit pointed out. "It's disrespectful to say that."

"He called me a foolish kit!" Thornkit growled back.

Cinderkit snorted. "You are a foolish kit!"

Brightkit heard scuffling and felt a paw poke her in the side. She guessed that Thornkit and Cinderkit were fighting. "Stop it!" she growled. "There's no room in here. You kicked me!"

"He started it!" Cinderkit snapped.

"Hey!" a growl sounded above them, and a couple of twigs and leaves fell onto their heads. Brightkit hissed and shook her head to dislodge a scrap of leaf.

"Be quiet down there!" the warrior snarled.

Brightkit and her littermates flinched and pressed against the ground. "Don't make them angry!" Brackenkit whispered. "They'll hurt us worse!"

"I want Mother," Cinderkit whimpered softly.

"She'll come get us," Brightkit mewed reassuringly. "She won't let us stay here."

"I bet Bluestar comes to get us herself," Thornkit added.

The kits curled up together and shared tongues like they'd seen Frostfur and Brindleface do. Thornkit and Cinderkit fell asleep.

Sometime later, Brightkit heard a screech from somewhere above her head. She jerked upright, pricking her ears. Was it ThunderClan, coming to the rescue?

All at once, the camp above them exploded into action. Brightkit heard the pounding of paws and shrieks of fury. She poked Cinderkit and Thornkit. "Listen!" she hissed.

"They're battling for us!" Cinderkit mewed happily. "They'll get us out of here soon!"

"I wish I could help them!" Thornkit said.

"You're mouse-brained!" Brightkit said. "We don't know how to fight yet."

"I'm smart enough to figure it out!" Thornkit protested. "We're small and fast. We could avoid getting hit!"

Brackenkit flicked his tail. "We won't need to help. ThunderClan is the best Clan at fighting. We'll win for sure."

"But how will they find us down here?" Cinderkit pointed out.

"Let's make noise," Brightkit suggested, and she lifted her muzzle toward the top of the hole and let out a pitiful mew.

"Good idea," Brackenkit said, and he joined her. Cinderkit and Thornkit copied them, and the kits cried as loud as they could.

Suddenly the leaf-and-twig cover was pulled apart, and Brightkit saw the face of a gray ThunderClan apprentice – Graypaw, wasn't it? – staring down at them. A second later a second cat appeared, a ThunderClan warrior.

"Hurry!" the warrior meowed, and she reached down and scooped up Cinderkit.

Graypaw reached down and picked up Brackenkit. He passed him to the ginger apprentice named Firepaw. He then reached down again, picking up Brightkit.

"I'll get the last one," a big white warrior meowed. "Get them out of here, hurry!" The warrior pushed past the apprentice and stuck his head in the hole to grab Thornkit.

Suddenly, a huge body slammed into Graypaw, and Brightkit was thrown across the clearing. She landed with an "oomph!" and lay in the mud, panting to catch her breath. She looked up and found herself right between an enemy she-cat's paws. She squeaked in fear.

To her surprise, the enemy's fierce yellow eyes softened. "It's okay, little one," the warrior murmured. "You're safe."

Brightkit opened her mouth to yowl for the ThunderClan warriors to come get her, but before she could the warrior picked her up by the scruff and darted under the nearest bush. There were several other cats hiding in their nests.

A white she-cat with ginger flecks on her pelt lifted her head to stare at Brightkit. "Fernshade, what are you doing?" she rasped.

Fernshade set Brightkit down gently into an empty nest. "I'm keeping her safe until the battle is over," she meowed.

Brightkit spun around to face Fernshade. "Let me go!" she spat. "My Clan's trying to save me!"

Fernshade blinked at her. "Patience, little one. You'll be hurt if you're in the clearing."

"You're just trying to hide me!" Brightkit growled.

The other she-cat's eyes flashed. "Be quiet, if you know what's good for you!" she hissed. Brightkit opened her mouth defiantly, and the she-cat flashed out a paw, batting her ears.

"Calm down, Nettlespot," Fernshade murmured.

"ThunderClan should teach their kits to be respectful," Nettlespot snapped. "ShadowClan kits are never like this."

Brightkit's eyes widened. "This is _ShadowClan_?" she whispered.

"Of course this is ShadowClan," Fernshade answered. "What, did you think we were RiverClan?"

"Be glad you're not in RiverClan," Nettlespot added. "They eat slimy fish."

Brightkit couldn't imagine eating fish. She preferred mice or milk. "That's disgusting!"

A gray tom limped into the den. Brightkit gasped. His shoulder was torn open to the bone, and the tom was covered in blood. The tom heard her gasp and looked at her.

"Why is there a ThunderClan kit in the warriors' den?" he growled.

"I brought her here," Fernshade said defensively. "She was going to be crushed in the battle."

"You could have taken her to the _nursery_, where kits _belong_," the tom said pointedly.

"Oh, quit whining, Frogtail," Nettlespot snapped. "If Fernshade took her out now, she'd be pulled into battle and the kit would probably be killed."

Brightkit flinched and pressed herself into the mossy nest. Would the ShadowClan warriors really kill her?

Fernshade wrapped her tail around Brightkit. "Don't listen to Nettlespot," she meowed. "She has a sharp tongue and never thinks before she speaks."

Frogtail snorted and settled into his nest. He began to clean his wound.

A yowl sounded in the clearing. "They're fleeing! Chase them to the border!"

Fernshade pricked her ears and purred. "We won."

Brightkit jumped to her paws and ran from the bush.

"Wait! Wait for me!" she yowled at the fleeing cats, and she tried to run after them.

"Kit! Come back!" Fernshade yowled after her.

Brightkit rushed for a space in the broken camp wall. But just a fox-length from the barrier, a tom stepped into her path and she crashed into his legs.

"Oomph!" Brightkit fell to the ground in a heap. The tom put a paw on her legs, pressing her into the mud so that she couldn't get away.

"What have we here?" the tom purred, and Brightkit looked up into his fierce yellow eyes. "It's one of the ThunderClan kits, left behind," he continued. "What a shame."

Brightkit gulped.

"I have the other one, Brokenstar!" another cat yowled, and a moment later a white tom with one black foot padded into Brightkit's view. Thornkit hung from the warrior's jaws. He set Thornkit down and put a paw on his tail to keep him from escaping.

_I smacked into the ShadowClan leader!_ Brightkit thought. She felt panic rising.

"Where are the others?" Brokenstar demanded.

"ThunderClan took them," the tom answered. "They almost got this one too, but I made Whitestorm drop him."

Brokenstar nodded his head. "Very good, Blackfoot. At least we have two of them," he meowed. He looked down at Brightkit and blinked warmly. "Welcome home, little warrior."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to KatieK101 for pointing out my mistake in the allegiances! **

**Please leave a review! I love reading them! **

**Unfortunately, I don't own Warriors, but if I did, Boulder, Millie, and Daisy would have proper Clan names.**

* * *

Chapter Two

"Welcome home?" Brightkit repeated blankly. _What does he mean?_ From the expression on Blackfoot's face, he didn't know what was going on, either.

"Blackfoot," Brokenstar meowed, "Take the kits and put them back in the hole for now. I must speak to Brightflower in my den, and then I will address the Clan." He glanced around at the Clan, most of whom were sitting in the clearing and licking their wounds. "We need a night patrol," he added. "Russetfur, you lead it, and take three others with you."

Blackfoot dipped his head to the leader and glanced around the clearing. "Wolfstep!" he called. "Take this kit to the hole."

A gray tom snatched her up and carried her back to the hole. Brightkit tried to squirm out of the warrior's grip. She didn't want to go back in the hole! She wanted to be back in ThunderClan! But the warrior had her scruff firmly between her teeth, and she couldn't break free. Wolfstep dropped her into the hole. Blackfoot dropped Thornkit beside her, and then he clawed more twigs and leaves over the hole, leaving them in darkness once more.

The kits huddled together and waited silently to learn their fate. It felt like moons had passed before the hole was opened again. Fernshade peered down at them. "It's time to come out," she meowed, and then she lifted them each out of the hole.

The whole Clan was gathered around a large lichen-covered rock, upon which Brokenstar sat and surveyed the Clan. The Clan had been whispering amongst itself, but as the cats noticed the kits they all fell silent. Brightkit crouched on the ground nervously.

"Wait," Brokenstar said suddenly. "Runningnose! Where are you?" Brightkit heard rustling, and then a small gray-and-white tom slowly padded out from between two boulders on one side of the camp.

"Blizzardwing was badly hurt in the battle," he meowed solemnly. "I must tend to his injuries."

Brokenstar flicked his tail. "Fine." The medicine cat turned back and vanished into his den. A small tabby she-cat jumped to her paws and raced after him.

Fernshade nudged Brightkit. "Come on," she whispered. Brightkit followed Fernshade to the rock. They stopped just beneath it. Brightkit looked up at the ShadowClan leader with wide eyes. He stared back at her, his expression unreadable. Then he looked out at the crowd. "Brightflower? Don't you want to greet your kits?" he meowed.

A ginger she-cat padded toward them, her eyes bright but her tail flicking nervously. "My…my kits," she said, her voice uncertain. She sniffed them. "It's been so long since I've seen you," she murmured.

Brightkit took a step back, flattening her ears and pressing herself against the ground. _What does she mean? We've never seen her before!_

Thornkit hissed at the she-cat. "You're not our mother! What's going on?"

Brightflower's ears twitched. "Actually, I am."

"What?" Brightkit gasped. "But Frostfur is our mother!"

Brightflower shook her head. "No. Frostfur was never your mother. You're not ThunderClan at all. You're actually ShadowClan."

"What?" Brightkit and Thornkit yowled together.

Brokenstar spoke again. "When you born, you were sent to be spies in ThunderClan," he meowed. "You were supposed to learn how ThunderClan worked and then come back to us. But we had to steal you back now, because our plans changed. We never had a chance to really use you."

"We were _spies_?" Thornkit mewed. "That's so cool!"

"But why didn't anyone tell us? We couldn't spy if we didn't know we were spies," Brightkit said. She tipped her head to the side.

Blackfoot, who was sitting close to them at the bottom of the rock, stepped forward. "If I may, Brokenstar?" he meowed, and the leader nodded his head. Blackfoot turned to the kits. "I know it's hard to believe," he said gently, "But Brightflower is your true mother, and we are your true Clan. Do you think we'd go to such trouble to steal and defend enemy kits?" He paused and blinked gently at Brightkit. "I was there when you were born, and you were so tiny," he added. "You still look like you're only half a moon old."

Brightkit pushed herself up as tall as she could. "I'm two moons old!" she said proudly.

Blackfoot's whiskers twitched and he glanced at Brokenstar.

Brightflower licked Brightkit's ears. "Little ones," she said slowly, "we never did get a chance to name you before you were sent on your mission. What did ThunderClan call you?"

"I'm Brightkit!"

"I'm Thornkit!"

"Do you like those names?" Brokenstar asked.

"I love my name!" Thornkit exclaimed. He swiped at the air with his tiny claws. "It's so fierce! One day I'll be _Thornstar_!"

Murmurs of amusement rose from the Clan. "So this is what we'll do," Brokenstar said. "Brightkit and Thornkit will keep their names, since they like them so much. Brightflower will take them to the nursery for the next moon, and then they'll be apprenticed." Brokenstar swished his tail. "We should celebrate. Blackfoot, send out a hunting patrol. We will feast tonight! Our secret spies are home, and here they'll stay!" A couple of warriors let out yowls of agreement and the meeting broke up. Brightkit spotted Blackfoot weaving among the warriors, and a few moments later four cats sped out of camp.

"What about Cinderkit and Brackenkit?" Thornkit mewed to Brightflower. "Were they spies too?"

"No." Brightflower shook her head. "They are Frostfur's kits. They weren't really your littermates."

Brightkit blinked. But we were! She wanted to yowl, _They were just like real littermates! It's not fair! _

"They'll be fine. You'll see them at Gatherings," Brightflower meowed firmly.

A tabby apprentice bounded up to them. "So you were secret spies! That's so cool!" he meowed excitedly.

Thornkit puffed out his chest. "We lived there for two whole moons!"

"I'm Littlepaw," the apprentice said. "Do you know any secrets about ThunderClan?"

"Well…."

"Why doesn't Littlepaw show you around the camp," Brightflower interrupted. "When the patrol gets back we'll have some fresh-kill and then it's off to the nursery for you two."

"Okay," Thornkit and Brightkit mewed reluctantly.

"Come on!" Littlepaw mewed, and he bounded toward a clump of brambles.

Littlepaw showed them the ShadowClan camp. All the dens were shallow dips in the ground surrounded by brambles. The warriors' den was huge, much bigger than ThunderClan's. In fact, all of the dens were larger. When she mentioned this, Littlepaw purred. "Of course! We're the largest Clan in the forest!" They inspected all of the dens except for the medicine cat den and the old elders' den. "They don't live here anymore, so it doesn't matter," Littlepaw shrugged.

"Why don't they live in the camp?" Thornkit asked.

"It's too noisy in camp, and the kits are always under their paws," Littlepaw replied. "So Brokenstar lets them live outside camp. It's more peaceful for them."

"But they served their Clan," Thornkit protested. "They're supposed to rest and entertain kits like us."

Littlepaw's eyes widened and he glanced around quickly before swatting Thornkit on the ear with his tail. "Shhh! Don't say things like that! Brokenstar would have your tail off if he heard you!"

"But-" Brightkit started.

"No!" Littlepaw meowed. "This is how ShadowClan is. You're not in ThunderClan anymore, remember? You'll just have to get used to it."

Littlepaw also introduced them to the other apprentices. Brownpaw was almost as small as Littlepaw, and he had a solid brown pelt. He was friendly, nodding his head at them and telling them how ShadowClan was much better than stinky ThunderClan. Wetpaw was a gray tabby tom who hissed at them and called them ThunderClan flea-pelts. "Ignore him," Littlepaw advised. "He's just jealous."

When the patrol returned, Brightkit and Thornkit shared a squirrel with Brightflower. Brightkit still felt nervous around the she-cat. I miss Frostfur, Cinderkit, and Brackenkit, she thought sadly. Brightflower is nice, but she's not the same…

"Tomorrow we'll find you a frog," Brightflower meowed, sitting up and swiping her tongue around her jaws. There was nothing left of the squirrel now.

"Frog?" Brightkit gasped. "That's disgusting!"

Brightflower twitched her whiskers. "Perhaps, but ShadowClan cats enjoy it."

"Ew," Thornkit muttered. "I'd rather eat crowfood."

Brightflower tipped her head to one side. "Have you ever eaten crowfood?"

"Well…no," Thornkit admitted. "But I can imagine it would taste awful."

"Don't complain about it if you've never tried it," Brightflower said. "Now come, it's almost morning. Let's go to the nursery."

Brightkit and Thornkit padded after Brightflower into the nursery. It smelled different than the ThunderClan nursery. It was dark and cool and smelled of milk, but the cat-scents were all wrong and the nests were different. Brightflower showed them her nest and they climbed into it. She climbed in after them and curled around them. Brightkit couldn't imagine sleeping in this unfamiliar camp, but her eyes began to droop as Brightflower groomed her pelt with long, soothing strokes. "It's been so long," Brightflower murmured, and Brightkit wondered if she were talking to herself. "I missed having kits to look after."

In the next nest, a black-and-ginger queen named Newtspeck was curled around her own kits. "Well, enjoy the next moon," she muttered dryly. "I can't believe Brokenstar's doing this."

"What's Brokenstar doing?" Thornkit mewed sleepily.

"Nothing," Brightflower said softly. "Newtspeck, you shouldn't talk like that. Kits have ears." Newtspeck narrowed her eyes but said nothing more.

A long, heartbreaking yowl sounded in the clearing. Brightflower pricked her ears, and then her eyes clouded with sadness. "Blizzardwing must have gone to StarClan," she meowed quietly.

Newstpeck sighed. "He was a great warrior."

"I wonder who's going to tell Featherstorm," Brightflower murmured.

Brightkit allowed her eyes to drift closed, and she was soon lulled to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm so sorry for not posting sooner! I started school and work again so free time became short, and it took me a while to figure out this chapter. It didn't want to come together! Also, it seems this story was accidentally adopted again when people thought I'd abandoned it. But I haven't forgotten, and since I had it first I'm going to continue. Heads up: I will be changing a few things from the books, a few characters and timings will be different. Also it's highly likely Brightheart's name will be changed, since she received her name in ThunderClan and now she is in ShadowClan. **

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed this story! It means so much to me. :) ****Please leave a review!**

**Unfortunately, I don't own Warriors, but if I did, Rainflower would have suffered a punishment fit for her actions.**

**Chapter Three**

Brightkit opened her eyes to unfamiliar surroundings and strange scents around her. For a heartbeat she panicked. Where was her mother? Where were Brackenkit and Cinderkit? But then she looked at Brightflower and remembered. She wasn't a ThunderClan cat anymore. Now she was ShadowClan.

Brightflower blinked sleepily at her. "Awake already?" she murmured. "If you want you can go play in the clearing with your brother."

"Okay," Brightkit said, and she climbed out of the nest and headed out of the nursery. She paused at the entrance, staring around the camp. It was rather busy for sun-high. Blackfoot was giving orders to a small group of warriors near the fresh-kill pile, while Wolfstep led a patrol out of the camp. Two she-cats, one a pale brown tabby and the other a dark ginger, practiced their fighting skills near the Clanrock. Tangleburr sat by the warriors' den, eating a frog. Newtspeck was supervising her kits, Darkkit, Tallkit, and Whitekit, playing with Thornkit. Brightkit padded out to join them.

"Hey, Brightkit!" Tallkit squeaked. "You should play with us! It's she-cats against toms!"

"We're winning," Whitekit added smugly, his eyes narrowed at his sisters.

"What are we doing?" Brightkit asked.

"We're play-fighting!" Darkkit said. "You're on our team." She lowered her voice and spoke directly into her ear. "You go for Whitekit."

Brightkit nodded.

"Okay!" Tallkit yowled. "Go!"

Brightkit lunged toward Whitekit, who was leaping for Darkkit. She missed him by a mouse-length and landed hard on the ground. Spinning around, she crouched to spring for him again when she felt sharp teeth in her tail. She yelped and turned on her attacker, but Tallkit was already hauling Thornkit off.

She whipped back around to find Whitekit right in her face.

"Go away, ThunderClan!" he yowled, and he sliced Brightkit's cheek with his claws.

Brightkit screeched and stumbled backwards. Thornkit lunged at Whitekit and pinned him down to the earth. "You hurt my sister!" he snarled.

Tallkit pounced on Thornkit's back, raking her claws down his spine. "Get off my brother!" she yowled.

Brightkit could feel blood welling up on her cheek, but she tried to ignore it. She bared her fangs at Tallkit and sprang to defend her brother, but once again she misjudged her jump. She fell short.

Darkkit had switched sides, too, and she aimed a paw at Brightkit's head. Brightkit ducked and lashed out with a paw of her own, catching Darkkit on the shoulder. Darkkit screeched, and Brightkit almost laughed at her. It couldn't have hurt much; she was keeping her claws sheathed even though no one else was.

Newtspeck called encouragement to her kits. "Use your smaller size to your advantage," she meowed. "Use your claws more."

_Smaller size?_ Brightkit thought. _They're only a moon younger than us! And did she say to _use _our claws?_

Thornkit finally knocked Tallkit from his back, sending the she-cat rolling across the clearing. Brightkit ran after her, teeth bared in fury.

Tallkit got to her paws before Brightkit reached her. "Mouse-brain!" Tallkit hissed. "You messed up our game!"

Brightkit swiped at Tallkit's ears, but Tallkit ducked away and her paws met air. Brightkit growled and leaped for her. Tallkit darted away at the last second and Brightkit landed in the mud. She slipped and fell. Immediately, Tallkit jumped on her back. She felt claws rake down her spine. She let out a screech of pain.

"Tallkit, that's enough," Newtspeck called.

Tallkit grumbled but jumped off of Brightkit, who climbed painfully to her feet and looked for Newtspeck. The queen was lying in a dry spot of ground, chewing on the wing of a blackbird and watching Darkkit, Thornkit, and Whitekit fight. Brightkit padded over to her.

"Tallkit got my face and my back with her claws!" Brightkit meowed, trying not to whimper. Her injuries were stinging painfully, and she could feel blood trickling through her fur.

Newtspeck sniffed the scratch on her face. "Well, next time you'll be faster. Go see Runningnose."

Brightkit felt confused. Why hadn't Tallkit been punished for using her claws in a play-fight? She padded painfully to the two boulders and peered into the clearing beyond. "Runningnose?" she called uncertainly.

She heard rustling, and a moment later the medicine cat appeared from the ferns that edged the clearing. "Yes? Oh. Hi, little kit."

"Hi," Brightkit mewed shyly. "Um…I got scratched while we were playing…"

"Let me take a look then," Runningnose mewed cheerfully. "Come on in."

Brightkit padded into the den and stood still as the medicine cat sniffed her carefully. "It looks like you've been scratched on your cheek and your back," Runningnose commented. "Playing rough already, are you?"

"They were using their claws," Brightkit muttered.

"What about you?"

Brightkit shook her head. "You're not _supposed_ to use your claws!"

Runningnose uncovered a hole in the ground and pulled out a few leaves. "This is comfrey," he meowed. "I'm going to use it for your scratches."

"Will it hurt?" she asked as she watched the medicine cat lick up the leaves and chew them.

"It might sting a little," he replied, "but just think of it as practice being a warrior. They have to get herbs on their wounds all the time."

Brightkit's eyes widened and she couldn't resist a squeak of joy. She was going to do something that _warriors_ did!

"Now hold still," Runningnose muttered, and Brightkit froze in place. She didn't move a whisker until he was finished rubbing the herbs on her face and her back.

"You'll have to have another one tomorrow," Runningnose said, "Just so that it doesn't get infected. Try not to lick it off when you groom yourself."

"Okay," Brightkit mewed. "Can I go now?"

Runningnose's whiskers twitched. "You may," he said with a purr.

Not sure why Runningnose found her request amusing, Brightkit rose to her paws and padded out of the medicine den. Newtspeck was herding her kits back into the den for a nap. Darkkit shot her a look of jealousy as she padded into the nursery. Brightkit ignored her and looked for Thornkit. She spotted him peering into the warriors' den.

"You're not supposed to go in there," she reminded him as she padded up to him.

"I'm just looking!" Thornkit muttered. "I'm not going in!"

"Good thing you aren't!" someone growled behind them, and the kits whirled around to see a ginger tabby tom looming over them. "Kits aren't allowed in the warriors' den," he added, baring his teeth at them.

Brightkit tried to shrink, pressing herself against the ground. "We know," she said in a tiny voice.

Thornkit was bolder. He met the warrior's eyes squarely and dug his claws into the ground. "We didn't go in, so we didn't break the rule," he growled.

The ginger tabby narrowed his eyes. "You're rather mouthy for such a little kit," he hissed.

"Scorchwind!" Brightflower padded up to join them, her own eyes narrowed and her tail lashing. "Are you threatening my kits?"

Scorchwind turned his gaze on Brightflower. "You're really going to go along with this load of mouse dung?"

"They are my kits," Brightflower said, baring her teeth at him, and then she turned away from the warrior and flicked her tail. "Come, kits, let's go get some fresh-kill."

She led the way to the fresh-kill pile, where she stopped and selected two frogs before leading the kits to a patch of ground warmed by the sun. She settled down and turned her gaze on the kits. "It's time for you to have your first frog!" she purred.

Brightkit looked at the frog and curled her lip in disgust. What cat would willingly eat such a slimy thing?

"The skin is chewy, so most cats peel it off," Brightflower explained. She showed them how, and then she stepped back and took the other frog for herself. Brightkit and Thornkit exchanged doubtful looks. Finally Thornkit took a mouthful.

"It's okay," he muttered when he had swallowed. "It's nothing compared to a nice mouse, though."

Brightkit took a tiny bite. It tasted a bit like a watery mouse. It wasn't too bad, so she finished her share of the frog and began grooming her whiskers. Then she pricked her ears. Some cat was yowling outside of the camp.

Suddenly a black-and-white cat burst into the camp. "ThunderClan – they're attacking the border!" he yowled breathlessly. "Our patrol is outnumbered."

Brokenstar rushed from his den. "They're coming for revenge!" he snarled. "We'll attack immediately."

"Can I go?" Brownpaw burst out excitedly.

Brokenstar nodded. "Russetfur, Lizardstripe, Mousewing, Fernshade, Frogtail, Cinderfur, Brownpaw, and Wetpaw! Finchflight, you'll show us the way. Blackfoot, guard the camp. Let's go."

The eight warriors and two apprentices sped out of camp. Brightkit marveled at their speed. "They're so fast!" she whispered to Thornkit.

"They have to be," Brightflower said. She must have overheard her whisper. "ThunderClan is angry and it will make them stronger," she added quietly. "Our warriors must stop them at the border, before they can get to the camp and take you back."

"Wow," Thornkit muttered. "All this fighting over _us_. We must have been important spies."

"Oh, yes. ThunderClan wants to make sure you don't tell us their secrets." Brightflower got to her paws. "Now come, kits. We need to stay in the nursery until the battle's over."

"But I want to fight!" Thornkit said. He sank his tiny claws into the frog carcass and flung it across the muddy clearing. "I can-"

"Stop that!" Brightflower hissed. "We do _not_ disrespect our prey!"

"But it's _dead_."

Brightkit sighed and stood up. She glanced around the clearing; most of the warriors that had been left behind were pacing the camp, their eyes narrowed and their tails lashing. Tangleburr and Scorchwind had gone to patrol outside of the camp, keeping alert for ThunderClan intruders.

Brightkit glanced at Brightflower and Thornkit, who were still arguing, and padded into the nursery.

Newtspeck was curled up in her nest with Whitekit while Tallkit and Darkkit played with a scrap of moss. The kits looked up as she entered.

"This is because of you, isn't it," Tallkit meowed. She stared at Brightkit.

Brightkit shrugged. "I guess so."

"Finchflight is our father," Darkkit said. "He's fighting ThunderClan because of you."

Brightkit twitched her tail and narrowed her eyes at the black kit. "I didn't make ThunderClan attack," she snapped.

Darkkit had opened her mouth to reply when Brightflower pushed into the nursery, with Thornkit trailing behind her. "What's all this fighting I hear?" she growled. "I could hear you two from outside."

"Nothing," Darkkit meowed quickly.

Brightflower looked at Brightkit.

"We were just talking about…about the moss ball," Brightkit said. She looked down at her paws.

"Right," Brightflower meowed sarcastically. "You expect me to believe that?"

Newtspeck stirred in her nest and raised her head. "What's going on?" she said sleepily.

"Your kits were bullying Brightkit," Brightflower meowed.

Newtspeck sighed. "I'm sure they were just playing – "

"They blamed her for the fight with ThunderClan," Brightflower added. "I won't have them antagonizing my kits, Newtspeck."

Newtspeck flattened her ears and quickly groomed one of her front paws. Then she set it down and looked at her kits. "Were you being disrespectful to your Clanmates?" she meowed.

Brightflower narrowed her eyes at Newtspeck's kits, and Brightkit copied her.

"We were upset that Finchflight had to fight," Tallkit muttered.

"_I _didn't say anything," Whitekit said quickly. "It was just them!"

Darkkit hissed at her brother. "Way to stick together, frog-brain!"

"Stop it," Newtspeck said with a sigh. "Now, apologize to Brightkit and Thornkit."

"Sorry," the she-cats muttered together, sounding not sorry at all.

Brightflower sat down in her nest and pulled Thornkit in with her. She began washing his pelt while the kit squirmed.

"I'm not dirty!"

"Keep still!"

"I want to go play!"

"You're staying right here until I'm finished with you!"

Brightkit purred in amusement as her brother gave up and slumped in the nest while Brightflower groomed his pelt. She thought of only a couple days ago, when Frostfur had pulled Brackenkit and Cinderkit aside from their game and began licking them fiercely. Her littermates had meowed indignantly, and when that didn't work, they tried to run away across the clearing. Frostfur had sent them to their nest after that.

Brightkit sighed. She missed Frostfur, Cinderkit, and Brackenkit. She wished they lived in ShadowClan.

She wished she still lived in ThunderClan.

There were noises in camp and Newtspeck hurried out of the nursery. She soon returned, her eyes shining. "We won! ThunderClan didn't even make it over the border."

Brightflower purred.

Brightkit curled up in the nest and dropped her head onto her paws.


End file.
